Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves tells supporters Mississippi's work with school choice is not yet done at a rally at the Capitol Tuesday.

Proponents for a parents' right to choose their children's school gathered with other like-minded families and students at the Capitol at a rally organized by Empower Mississippi. The nonprofit is ramping up efforts touting the merits of school choice.(Photo: Rogelio V. Solis/AP)

Parents of children entering kindergarten could elect to never enroll their children in public school and instead receive state aid to attend private school, if House Bill 1339 or Senate Bill 2623 becomes law.

The proposals to widen the eligibility of the state’s education scholarship account program, a voucher-like initiative that provides families of special needs students with $6,500 to attend private school or pay for tutoring, were filed this week by Rep. Charles Busby, R-Pascagoula, and Senate Education Chairman Gray Tollison, R-Oxford, respectively.

In its first year, the proposal will limit enrollment to one half of 1 percent of the number of children enrolled in the state’s public schools. An additional 1 percent would be added in subsequent years.

The new plan would allow siblings of current recipients to also use state funds to attend private school. Children of active military members or a member killed in the line of duty and children in foster care would also be eligible.

Empower Mississippi is one of the groups that has lobbied heavily for unprecedented school choice. Empower Mississippi President Grant Callen said in a statement that the state’s current program “has provided the life-changing power of school choice to hundreds of students,” calling it “wildly successful by virtually every measure.”

Public school advocates like the Parents Campaign have pushed back on that claim. Public records requests by the group show that several families who have signed up for special needs vouchers have never requested reimbursements, while other documents indicate some participants have returned to public school.

The group is also concerned that the expansion of vouchers will further strain the state’s schools that have routinely been underfunded, as the Legislature fails to fully fund the Mississippi Adequate Education Program.

Private schools are not required to provide students with a free and appropriate education. Public schools, however, are required to follow federal law and provide individualized education plans for children with disabilities.

Some parents of ESA recipients have said the plans were not effective, accusing districts of ignoring federal law.

Here is how the program would work:

Parents will complete an application for participation.

If MDE has more applications than available slots, a lottery will be held.

The first preference will be given to students who have an individualized education plan within the past five years.

The second preference will be given to students from households with incomes at or below 250 percent of the federal poverty level.

Students with special needs will receive $6,500. Other eligible students would receive funds set at 95 percent of the base student cost in the state’s school funding formula.

Parents could then use state funds to attend private school with state, regional or national accreditation. Families could also use the funds for tutoring or textbooks.